How to swap the order of wall light switches
Swapping the physical order of light switches to match your room layout is difficult because electricians often cut the behind-the-wall wires too short to let you rearrange them. Attempting a DIY fix without proper testing risks painful electrical shocks if the circuit isn't fully verified first.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from September 2026.
- This comes up 109.6× more often in r/askanelectrician than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Unscrewing the devices and rearranging them without disconnecting wires if there is enough slackDid this help you?
- 2Pigtailing a small jumper length of wireDid this help you?
- 3Leaving the switch configuration as it isDid this help you?
- 4Splicing the wires in the original junction box, leaving it blanked off, and running extensions through the studs to the new box locationDid this help you?
- 5Pulling the wires up to the attic to splice them in a junction box and extending them down to the new locationDid this help you?
- 6Checking voltages with a multimeter and experimenting with connecting wires or installing a 3-way switch in the attic box.Did this help you?
- 7leaving the crooked switches and outlets as-is to avoid messing with finished wallsDid this help you?
- 8using oversized cover plates to hide gaps after straightening hardwareDid this help you?
- 9loosening mounting screws or modifying switch holes to manually rotate receptacles straightDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My brain tells me that the exterior light should be all the way to the right since it’s closest to the door. But I’m not sure if I can fix this myself or not.”source ↗
“As someone who has recently shocked himself. Buy the $15 current testing wand and use it.”source ↗
“Can anyone explain to me the simplest way to connect this back together so the garage ceiling lights work again until we get to the point of having new wires run to the new man door after the remodel is done?”source ↗
“I have the same exact problem at home, we constantly turn off the wrong lights because of the same logic. The problem is the wires were cut too short to allow the switches to be swapped.”source ↗
“Just not sure how to reconnect the wires to run them to the new box.”source ↗
“Makes sense, I was just having trouble with it lol”source ↗
“I need help figuring out how to move these 2 switches from the 2 gang spot to where the 1 gang box is.”source ↗
“How can I fix these crooked/uneven light switches and outlets? They are driving me insane. Please Help.”source ↗
“My biggest immediate problem is the outlets and light switches.”source ↗
“Are these things usually fixable without completely redoing everything?”source ↗
“If the boxes really are installed incorrectly, how big of a job would correcting them actually be? Would that necessarily require cutting into the finished wall?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 12How to remove a stuck light fixture globe
- 7Can you put pendant lights over an island with recessed cans?
- 4How to take apart a vanity light fixture without breaking the glass
- 4How to figure out what an unswitched wall light is connected to
- 2No room for new wires in switch box
- 2How to change a light fixture over stairs without a ladder